An aerial view of the Dongseo Expressway, which links the country's capital region with the east coast / Yonhap

Dongseo Expressway to open on June 30

By Jung Min-ho

People will soon be able to reach the country's east coast from Seoul within just 90 minutes.

The Dongseo Expressway linking the capital region with two cities in Gangwon Province ― East Hongcheon and Yangyang ― will open to the public on June 30, after eight and a half years of construction.

This means less driving for those who want to visit beaches on the east coast from Seoul and other cities in Gyeonggi Province.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC), a person who sets off from east Seoul can reach Yangyang in 90 minutes on the new highway; the journey, from central Seoul, which previously took about 3 hours, will take 2 hours and 10 minutes.

The KEC estimates more than 25,500 cars will use the highway every day and more than 9.3 million every year.

The highway is expected to alleviate traffic congestion on the Yeongdong Expressway, which has long been used by residents of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to get to the east coast. The old highway, which was first built in 1971, gets congested in July and August, when many people from the capital region head for the coast.

Inje Tunnel, which is the longest in Korea and 11th in the world at 11 kilometers, is part of the highway. The KEC said it designed the tunnel as an S shape to help drivers stay awake while passing through the long tunnel.

The KEC has spent more than 2.3 trillion won ($2 billion) on the construction project, which began in December 2008.